Automated remote play cue sport system

ABSTRACT

Cue sports tables are provided with associated automated sensor and positioning assemblies. This permits competitors to play each other on separate tables. The tables automatically sense ball positions on one table and communicate that to a positioner associated with another table. That positioner then automatically drives balls on that other table to a mimicking position. These systems also permit a shot to be replayed if desired.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority based on U.S. provisional application61/696,362 which was filed on Sep. 4, 2012.

STATEMENT OF FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not applicable.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to systems that allow a cue sport (e.g.pool, billiards or snooker) to be played by competing players who areshooting on different tables. More particularly, it relates to a systemthat senses the position of balls on one cue sport table, and thenautomatically repositions balls on the other table so as to mimic theball array on the first table.

Cue sports are games where a stick is used to drive a specified ball(typically a cue ball) in relation to other balls on a table (often acloth covered table with surrounding resilient bumpers). Many suchtables have pockets where one aspect of the game is to drive specifiedballs into the pockets. Other such tables do not have pockets.

In most cue sports the balls positioned on the game table aredifferently numbered, differently colored and/or differently patternedfrom each other. For example, in a common form of pocket pool onegrouping of the balls are different solid single colors, anothergrouping of the balls are striped and different colors, and one otherball (the cue ball) is white. As a result, each ball can easily beuniquely visually identified by players.

In most cue sports competitors alternate shots (unless a player earnsanother shot such as by pocketing a specified type of ball). Also, incompetitive cue sports there are most typically two players, albeit insome social matches teams of players compete by alternating shots withina team.

Regardless, cue sport matches have typically required all thecompetitors to play on the same table so as to be able to shoot from thelast position left by their competitor(s). This required competitors totravel to a common location, which added cost and/or restrictedcompetition.

There have been attempts to permit players at remote locations tocompete with each other in certain other types of games. For example,card games and chess are now often played on-line, using a virtualdisplay system.

Also, in U.S. Pat. No. 7,361,083 and U.S. patent application publication2012/0083342 there were disclosures of placing one dart board in onefacility, another dart board at another facility, and allowingcompetitors to compete with each other remotely using those dart boards.An automated system used sensors to determine/referee the result of eachround of dart throwing at each facility, communicate those results tothe other location, and keep track of scoring.

However, there was no attempt to cause the position of darts on thefirst board to be mimicked on the second dart board. This somewhataltered the nature of the game as in single location dart competitionthe players alternate throws. Thus, a second thrower sees the firstthrower's dart somewhat “in their way” when they throw.

There have also been attempts to develop robotic cue stick systems suchthat a player playing live at a given pool table can to some extentcompete with someone who is located remotely. In this system, the remoteplayer instructs a robotic system over telecommunications and therobotic system plays against the first player on the first player'stable.

A web cam helps identify where particular balls are located on thetable, and communicates that information to the remote player. However,this system did not allow the remote player to actually play a shotthemselves, as distinguished from instructing a robot to shoot. SeeAutomated Pool Table, www.instructables.com (2008).

Other systems have been developed to automatically determine thepositioning of pool balls. For example, it has been proposed to placeRFID tags in pool balls and an array of RFID readers around a pool table(e.g. adjacent specified pockets). This was used to identify which ballshad been pocketed, and was incorporated into an automated scoringsystem. See A. Osorno et al., Hustler's INC. Electronic Pool ScoringSystem Final Design Report (2007). However, this RFID capability was notused to facilitate remote play.

Apart from the desirability of permitting remote play, it is sometimesdesirable for a player to have an opportunity to play a pool shot thatpreviously occurred. For example, a player may want the opportunity torepetitively practice a particular shot. Moreover, when the game is at apublic place such as a bar there are sometimes situations where a playeris accidentally bumped into (or otherwise inappropriately disturbed) asthey are shooting a shot. It would be desirable to have the capabilityfor a shot to be retaken (to remove that unfairness from the game).

Further, in some cases it is of interest for players to try a shot thatsomeone (who is not their competitor) made. For example, a match betweentwo champion level players might have had several very unique shots thatan amateur want to see if they could make.

In the past, playing a shot that was previously made has required theplayer to try to remember the prior position of the balls, and then tryto manually position the balls. This introduced considerable inaccuracyinto those replays, particularly if the prior shot wasn't filmed.

Hence, a need still exists for developing improved ways for cue sportcompetitors to play each other from remote locations, and in any eventfor developing improved replay capabilities in cue sports.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a system for enabling a cue sport matchbetween two remotely located opponents. There is a first cue sport tableat a first location, the first cue sport table having a first sensorassembly for sensing ball locations on the first table and a firstpositioner for automatically moving balls on the first table to selectedpositions. There is also a second cue sport table at a second locationremote from the first location, the second cue sport table having asecond sensor assembly for sensing ball locations on the second cuesport table and a second positioner for automatically moving balls onthe second table to selected positions.

The second positioner can, if provided with information about ballpositions on the first table, cause ball positions on the second tableto essentially mimic ball positions on the first table (e.g. once afirst player has played a shot on the first table). Similarly, the firstpositioner can, if provided with information about ball positions on thesecond table, cause ball positions on the first table to essentiallymimic ball positions on the second table (e.g. if a second player hasplayed a shot in their turn on the second table).

The cue sport is preferably selected from the group consisting of pool,billiards, and snooker. Most preferably the cue sport is one in whichthere are pockets positioned adjacent segments of peripheral resilientbumper rails.

In other preferred aspects of the invention there is a means fortransmitting information about ball positions on the first table to thesecond positioner, and a means for transmitting information about ballpositions on the second table to the first positioner. Such means maycomprise links from the sensor assemblies to computers and links fromthe computers to the positioners.

In one preferred form the sensor assemblies may be one or more digitalcameras (such as web cameras) that visually record the location (andpreferably also colors of and patterns on) balls on the tables. Forexample, one camera can be directly over, and two cameras can be alongsides of, the ball array.

These cameras can be linked to a computer which examines the visualimages, and determine which balls are at which positions based thereon.Compare U.S. Pat. No. 7,831,337 and its teachings of using multiplecameras to acquire such images, followed by transmitting those images toa computer for analysis to determine identity and locations of balls.

In supplementation and/or replacement for such camera systems, thesensor assemblies may comprise RFID tags in the balls and an RFID readerarray (e.g. compare the previously noted Hustler's system). See alsoU.S. Pat. No. 4,516,770.

With respect to the automated positioning system, we prefer that ballsbe formed with a ferromagnetic content. We then provide anelectromagnetic array of regions that can be separately activated. Forexample, there could be several hundred small electromagnets positionedin a grid under the table, where the magnets are separately activatable,and most preferably separately controllable as to their power whenactivated.

We then propose to link the array to software such that when certainballs are to be moved, the other balls may be “anchored” by activatingelectronic attraction directly under them. The balls to be moved canthen be moved by a sequential turning on and off of electromagneticattraction adjacent the ball positions along the path where movement isdesired.

In a particularly preferred form such tables can have a capability thatstores information about a selected positional array of balls on thetable (e.g. the last positions of the balls prior to a recent shot).There can then be a reset capability that when activated instructs thepositioner associated with that table to cause the balls to return tothat earlier array position.

There may also be a scoring system that automatically keeps track of anddisplays results of play at the first and second tables, using ballposition information to inform itself (e.g. did the correct type of ballenter a pocket).

The system may also have the capability of automatically initiallysetting up ball positions (e.g. racking) on the first and second tablesat the start of a game. Alternatively, this may be done manually toprovide players with more of a feel of a “real” game.

Further, there may be automated controls linked to the sensor system andpositioner for delivering balls to the table at the start of the game,or to deliver a ball that has been improperly pocketed back to thetable. For example, the system preferably will also have the capabilityof automatically determining when a scratch has occurred, and thenautomatically releasing the cue ball in such a case for further play, ordetermining if an incorrect type of ball has been properly pocketed(e.g. a striped ball in eight ball), and return (and position) animproperly pocketed ball for further play.

The system is particularly well suited for permitting matches betweenplayers located at remote commercial locations. In commercialestablishments having such tables (e.g. bars, pool halls) the system mayalso include the ability to restrict play absent an authorizationcommunication from a central location, or absent currency payment.

Where the invention provides a system that allows a player to replay ashot (e.g. for training purposes or if the player was improperlydisturbed when shooting), the replay capability may be conditioned on asecond remote player (or a facility owner) consenting to the replay.

A replay system can be implemented by a cue sport table having a sensorassembly for sensing ball locations on the table and a positioner forautomatically moving balls on the table to selected positions. In oneembodiment relevant to replaying the positioner for the same table aswhere a shot just occurred is the one that is activated. A memorycapability can store information about the positioning of balls on thetable at a particular time (e.g. at a time immediately prior to a recentshot).

In yet another form the invention provides a cue sport table. It has atable for playing a cue sport thereon, a sensor assembly for sensingball locations on the table, a positioner for automatically moving ballson the table to selected positions, and a computer capable of activatingthe positioner to cause the positioner to automatically move balls onthe table to specified positions.

In some preferred forms the computer is capable of storing informationabout a first array of ball positions, and also information about asecond array of ball positions. This could enable multiple shots to betaken back in the game being played, or multiple ball positions from astored historical game to be positioned. With this capability one canselectively direct the positioner to move balls to the selected arrayposition.

This table could be further enhanced by having the sensor assembly ableto sense information about the speed of a shot, pass that information tothe computer, and then have the computer control a robotic cue stick.This enables the table to also mimic a shot previously made withoutrequiring a human to make the shot.

The present invention thus enables cue sport players at remote locationsto play each other notwithstanding that they are playing on twodifferent tables. The “smart” tables of the present invention can sensewhat has happened at a competitor's table and then cause a player's owntable to mimic the post-shot position that has just been reached on thecompetitor's table.

If the first player has not earned another shot (e.g. pocketed a ball),the second player will thereby be enabled to shoot on the second tableusing a ball array that is essentially the same as that present on thefirst table. Thereafter, the result of the second player's playing canbe essentially mimicked at the first table, enabling the first player toplay from the proper position when it is their turn. This is allachieved automatically, and in a way likely to be perceived as fair toall competitors. The tables can also act as a partial referee, andfacilitate proper automated scoring.

This enables players to play each other as if they were in the same roomplaying on the same table, but without the burden and cost of having totravel to the same location. Thus, this achieves the desired more“global” competition. While this type of system is intended primarilyfor commercial establishments (e.g. a chain of bars located in variouscities), it may also be of interest for people who wish to play theirgood friends who are now remotely located, or who wish to stay at homeand play while competing with someone located at a local bar.

Further, these tables add an additional element of fairness by enablingcompetitors to replay a shot if one is unfairly disturbed during a shot.Preferred embodiment's also allow a selected array of balls to be setup, and then have the system mimic a shot previously made (e.g. a robotshooting a ball at the same speed and angle).

These and still other advantages of the present invention will becomemore apparent, and the invention will be better understood, by referenceto the following description of preferred embodiments of the presentinvention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts in schematic form two pool players playing each otherusing a system of the present invention, where the players are playingremotely from each other on separate tables;

FIG. 2 is a schematic depiction of a sensor assembly of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a cross sectional view taken through one type of ball that canbe used with the present invention; and

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a pool table embodying principles of thepresent invention, where a portion of the table is fabric has been tornaway for illustrative purposes.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A preferred system of the present invention enables two players 8 and 9to play each other at a cue sport (in this case pocket pool). At a firstlocation 10 there is a first pool table 11 having pockets 12, a rubberbumper system 13, a cloth playing surface 14, an array of target balls15, and a cue ball 16. At a remote location 10A there is a second pooltable 11A having pockets 12A, a rubber bumper system 13A, a clothplaying surface 14A, an array of target balls 15A, and a cue ball 16A.The ball arrays on the respective tables 11 and 11A are shown asessentially identical.

The first player 8 is shown using a cue stick 20 to strike the cue ball16, and is participating in playing pocket pool. As indicated/implied byFIG. 2, the tables each have their own sensor assembly 21 and positioner22.

In the form shown in FIG. 2 each sensor assembly comprises at least afirst digital web cam 25 positionable over the table that is capable ofdetermining the location of each ball on a table, and preferably itscolor, whether it has stripes, and what any part of a number visible onit depicts. This information is communicated to a computer 26, whichthen processes that information and transmits it via atelecommunications system (e.g. the internet) and linkages 27/28 to apositioner 22 associated with another table (FIG. 4).

See generally U.S. Pat. No. 7,831,337 which describes how a video systemcan be used to determine ball locations and ball identification throughuse of such a camera system. As indicated in that patent such a systemmay be further enhanced with the addition of one or more cameras alongthe sides which provide additional opportunities to record ballspecifics that are less apparent in top view. Further, this system couldbe adapted to monitor and transmit to a computer the speed of a shot,and its angle. The content of this patent, and of all other publicationsreferred to herein, are incorporated by reference as if fully set forthherein.

Such camera-based sensor system(s) may be supplemented and/or replacedwith an RFID-based sensor system. For example, one could place uniqueRFID tags in each pool ball and provide an array of RFID readers (e.g.at particular pocket locations). This would provide a double checkregarding which balls have been pocketed.

In any event, as shown in FIG. 3, each ball can be provided withferromagnetic material. This could be achieved by placing that materialonly in a central core. However, for purposes of further illustration,we show in FIG. 3 a ball having an outer core 30 (e.g. made ofpolyurethane), an inner core 31 made of polyester, and a middle layer 32in which magnetically attractable iron powder has been mixed in withpolyester resin. This allows an electromagnet to attract the balls.

As noted in FIG. 4, the table 11 may have a grid array 42 ofelectromagnetic sections immediately under its cloth 14. Each section 43may have a tiny independent electromagnet (e.g. with several hundredelectromagnets under the table cloth for each table). Theseelectromagnets are linked to the computer control system such that eachcan be turned on or off independently from each other, and preferablythe power level of each magnet can be adjusted independently.

The electromagnetic positioner 22 may move one or more balls in responseto computer control. The computers 26 use the sensors to determine wherethe balls currently are on both tables, and if different determine areasonably efficient means of moving the balls to the target positions(for example, by using conventional path finding software based onsomething like A* path finding).

For example, if ten balls are correctly positioned already, and only twoneed to have their position changed to mimic what happened on the lastshot on the other table, the software will check to see if there is aclear path to make the movement changes while only adjusting two balls.If so, only two balls will be moved along that path. If not, anefficient number of balls will be moved as required. Note that themovement path need not (and probably typically won't) mimic how theballs on the other table actually reached the new position.

In a particularly preferred form the system can also determine whichballs are not to be moved, and then strongly activate theelectromagnetic field directly under them (to help ensure that they willnot be disturbed when other balls are moving). The software can thenplot out and control how to use immediately adjacent regions 43 tomagnetically drag the moving balls to their new positions.

In a preferred embodiment one main purpose of the sensor assemblies andthe positioners is to allow the position of balls on a second table toautomatically be adjusted to the position just reached on the othertable (allowing the competitor to shoot at the same array, but on adifferent table). However, a second main optional purpose is to permitplay of a previous shot (e.g. by a competitor, or by the individualplaying the game, or by a player in a stored historical game). Forexample, a positioner can cause the same table where a shot has justbeen taken to have its balls returned to the immediately prior position(by touching a replay button 60).

If desired, one may condition the operability of the replay button 60 ona remote consent (e.g. a facility operator electronically agreeing, or asecond replay button 60A also being pressed to indicate the competitor'sconsent). Alternately, the replay could be configured to work with justa pressing a button 60 (e.g. while practicing a particular shot).

In other forms the sensor assembly could be tied into the computer 26via linkage 70 to form a scoring system that automatically keeps trackof (and displays on screen 71) results of play.

The positioner systems may also move balls for other purposes. Forexample, they could automatically rack at the beginning of games, orprematurely truncate a game (e.g. if players at a table are actinginappropriately), and typically would have the capability of returningimproperly pocketed balls to the table or a specific spot on the table.

While systems of the above kind could be used to permit play betweenremote residences, or to permit play between a home and a commercialpool hall, it is expected that in most cases these tables will belocated at commercial establishments where payment for play isdesired/required. In such a case the system could use communicationlinkage 70 to provide a capability of conditioning use of the system onan authorization communication or currency payment.

What has been described thus far are only the preferred embodiments. Theinvention is not to be so limited. For example, as discussed above, thesystem could be designed to also store historically significant poolgame information, and then play back (or provide the opportunity toplay) the shot results in live form. For example, if someone recorded agame between two famous pool players, information about ball positionsafter each shot could be stored, with players given the opportunity totry their hand at the same difficult shots that the famous player faced.

However, in an alternative form the system could be tied into HD cabletelevision which is showing a game. The HD system could have web camerasthat act as the sensor for games being broadcast, providing theopportunity for viewers to play along with a broadcast game with respectto selected shots.

The claims should therefore be looked to in order to judge the fullscope of the invention.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The invention provides cue sports tables and associated systems whichpermit people to play each other while at remote locations, and/or moreaccurately play a shot that has previously been taken.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for enabling playing a cue sport matchbetween two remotely located opponents, comprising: a first cue sporttable with a playing surface and balls at a first location, said firstcue sport table having a first sensor assembly for sensing locations ofthe balls on the first table and a first positioner for automaticallymoving the balls on the first table to selected positions; and a secondcue sport table with a playing surface and balls at a second locationremote from the first location, the second cue sport table having asecond sensor assembly for sensing locations of the balls on the secondcue sport table and a second positioner for automatically moving theballs on the second table to selected positions; a computer controlleroperationally linked to the first and second sensor assemblies and thefirst and second positioners, wherein the computer controller isconfigured to transmit data representing the locations of the balls onthe first table from the first sesnsor assembly to the second positionerand data representing locations of the balls on the second table fromthe second sensor assembly to the first positioner, and is furtherconfigured to calculate a path for each ball on the first and secondtables to follow in order for the balls to reach the selected positions;wherein the first and second positioners each comprise a grid array ofindependently activatable electromagnetic sections underlying theplaying surface of the first and second tables; wherein the balls at thefirst and second locations comprise ferromagnetic material that ismagnetically responsive to the electromagnetic sections of the first andsecond positioners; wherein the second positioner, when provided withthe data representing the locations of the balls on the first table, isconfigured to cause ball locations on the second table to mimic balllocations on the first table by selectively activating and deactivatingthe electromagnetic sections of the second positioner in the pathscalculated by the computer controller; and wherein the first positioner,when provided with the data representing the locations of the balls onthe second table, is configured to cause ball locations on the firsttable to mimic ball locations on the second table by selectivelyactivating and deactivating the electromagnetic sections of the firstpositioner in the paths calculated by the computer controller.
 2. Thesystem of claim 1, wherein the cue sport is selected from the groupconsisting of pool, billiards, and snooker.
 3. The system of claim 1,wherein the first and second sensor assemblies comprise digital cameras.4. The system of claim 3, wherein the first and second sensor assembliesalso comprise arrays of RFID tags in balls and RFID reader arraysassociated with the tables.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein at leastone such table has a capability that can store information about aselected positional array of balls on the table, as well as a resetcapability that when activated allows the positioner associated withthat table to cause the balls to return to that positional array.
 6. Thesystem of claim 1, further comprising a scoring system thatautomatically keeps track of and displays results of play at the firstand second tables.
 7. The system of claim 1, wherein the system has thecapability of automatically setting up ball positions on the first andsecond tables at the start of a match between players at the first andsecond tables.
 8. The system of claim 7, comprising an automatic rackingcapability at the first and second tables.
 9. The system of claim 1,wherein the system is capable of automatically determining if a scratchhas occurred, and if so automatically releasing a cue ball in such acase for further play.
 10. The system of claim 1, further comprising acapability of conditioning use of the system on an authorizationcommunication.
 11. The system of claim 1, wherein the system has thecapability of automatically returning improperly pocketed balls to thefirst and second tables during a match.